Many people enjoy cold beverages from a can or a bottle when they are travelling, attending or participating in a social activity, sporting event or some other activity. In some cases, it may not be convenient to find a cup or glass of ice to pour the beverage into. In other cases, beverages do not mix well with ice cubes, and sometimes, the quality of the ice may be in question. Still further, ice may not be readily available. People enjoying cold beverages often desire to shield their hands and/or fingers from colder temperature of the beverage container and/or any condensate that may form on the beverage container in warmer and/or more humid ambient environments.
Several devices for insulating a hot or cold beverage are described in patent literature. For example, WO97/32797A1 (Norrish) describes a wrap that is rectangular in shape. In use, a beverage can is laid on its side and rolled on the top of a stack of wraps. A strip of adhesive tape at point of use is used to hold the wrap in place around the can. Similarly, US20020179617A1 (Barthlow et al) describes a wrap-around device made from a water repellent styrene foam and an inner layer of an adsorbent material with an adhesive strip for holding the wrap in place. US20070051736A1 (Tavares) and US20090242578A1 (Bonilla) likewise describe an insulator for a chilled beverage container. The Tavares insulator is formed of two layers with a plurality of air-filled cavities between the layers. The insulator is wrapped around a container, though it is not clear if the insulator is affixed in position. The Bonilla insulator has a multilayer paper towel-like material with an exterior thin metallic foil layer. And finally, US20150291313A1 (Vara) illustrates a rectangular wrap with an overlapping tab portion for applying adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,372A (Spence) describes a beverage holder made of water soluble starch based material for holding a beverage cup, for example a cup containing hot coffee. The holder is arcuate in shape to accommodate a cup that has a tapered diameter. The holder has a tab on one side and a slot for receiving the tab on the other side. Likewise, US20050121457A1 (Wilson et al) and US20080164270A1 (Puerini et al) describe frusto-conical shaped wraps for adsorbing and/or collecting condensate from the outside of a beverage container.
All of devices described above have no bottom section and most of the devices require either the person using the wrap or a person serving the beverage to manipulate the wrap at the point of use for sealing it around the beverage container.
US20060131315A1 (DeGrazio) describes a sheath made from a paper-like fiber that is pressed into a cylindrical shape with pleated sides. An elastic or fixed rim is formed at the top for folding over the top and affixed in place with adhesive. Similarly, US20070205204A1 (Novak) shows a pleated cuff with a top edge for catching drips, spills or condensation.
US20130075412A1 (Schminke) describes an insulated wrap around sleeve with a built-in coaster for adding structure and stability to the insulated drink sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,991B1 (Bell) relates to a collapsible beverage container holder made from a die-cut sheet of recycled pressed paper pulp. The holder has a large rectangular side portion and a small rectangular side portion connected by a substantially circular bottom portion having flanges connecting to the respective opposing rectangular sides. The large rectangular side has opposing side flaps for folding around and affixing to the small rectangular side, for example with adhesive. Similarly, GB2474858A (Jones) describes a blank of insulated paper-based material with a central circular section and a pair of opposing wings, one wing having flaps for folding and adhering to the other wing section. And U.S. Pat. No. 9,302,815B2 (Shaw et al) relates to a paper wrap for a wine bottle. The wrap has a bottom strip attached to the main wrap body to allow for inspection of the contents of the bottle without removing the main wrap body. In a similar approach, US20060283868A1 (McDonald) relates to a beverage container accessory made from a pliable material. A sheet of material is cut into first and second square sections that are affixed with adhesive. Once affixed, the accessory is imprinted with a logo or promotional material.
There is a need for a device that can be readily implemented by a user or a person serving a beverage to a user, and that is flexible for conforming to the diameter of the beverage container, while providing additional strength to the device.